The Fairleigh Dickinson University baseball team was victimized by a two-run, seventh inning comeback by Wagner College, Saturday, April 19 in Teaneck, NJ. The Knights (8-26 overall, 3-7 NEC) were then out-hit, 15-6, in the nightcap, and fell, 13-4.
Game one featured two of the Northeast Conference's top southpaws in Knights senior John O'Hara (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) (Staten Island, NY) and senior Joe Testa (Brick, NJ). Wagner advanced to 15-17 overall and 7-4 in the NEC, riding its veteran arm in the opener and hot hitting in the second game.
In the top of the first inning, O'Hara struck out two Seahawks, en route to becoming the program's all-time leader in K's with 247. The senior capped off his monumental day by fanning a career-high 13 on the afternoon ? shattering his previous best mark of 10.
Meanwhile, Testa ? who struck out the side in the second ? logged 7.0 innings on the hill for the visitors, ultimately sitting down nine. The only run off the senior ended up unearned.
In the third frame, junior catcher Vincent Pennacchio (Huntington Station, NY/Commack) (Huntington Station, NY) ended Testa's streak of eight retired batters with a one-out walk. Junior outfielder Brett Lazar (Commack, NY/Commack) (Commack, NY) notched FDU's first hit with a single deep into the right-centerfield gap. However, Testa induced a 4-6-3 twin killing to stop the threat.
O'Hara ? who sat down three-straight hitters in the third ? was perfect through four innings, before sophomore outfielder Kevin McDonnell (Bristol, CT) sent a 0-2 pitch back through the box for Wagner's first hit. In the sixth, he once again struck out the side.
The Knights got on the board in the bottom half of the sixth with Pennacchio slapping an off-speed pitch to centerfield to start the frame. Sophomore pinch runner Patrick Furey (Ponoma, NY/North Rockland) (Ponoma, NY) crossed the dish two batters later after junior outfielder Jeff Vincent (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional) (Murrysville, PA) lifted a sacrifice fly to the warning track in right field.
In the top of the seventh inning, sophomore outfielder Damian Csakai (Freehold, NJ) placed a two-out triple in the right-centerfield gap, driving in McDonnnell to knot the contest, 1-1. Csakai slid home for the game-winning run by virtue of a failed pick-off attempt at first base and the delayed steal of home plate.
The loss for O'Hara marked the third occasion this season the hurler was one out away from victory. Pennacchio proved the only student-athlete to get on board twice.
In the nightcap, a six-run fourth inning sunk Fairleigh Dickinson. Seahawks' sophomore righty Kyle Morrison (Middlesex, NJ) went 6.0 innings, scattering six hits, to pick-up the win.
Vincent walked to begin the bottom half of the first inning. Senior infielder Luis Rosario (Bronx, NY/James Monroe) (Bronx, NY) laced a singled through the left side to give the home-standing squad a 1-0 advantage.
A pair of solo shots in the second frame by freshman designated Jon Lucas (Hackettstown, NJ) and freshman infielder Seth Boyd (Perth Amboy, NJ) propelled Wagner ahead, 2-1.
Seven hits, including six in a row, stretched the Seahawks' margin to 8-1 in the fourth. Sophomore first baseman Vin Avella (Matawan, NJ) highlighted the outburst with a three-run homer.
Junior outfielder Matt Maher (Peekskill, NY/JFK Catholic) (Peekskill, NY) worked a base on balls to start the fourth, and later crossed the dish to cut the deficit to 8-2. However, in the sixth, freshman infielder Joe Jamison (West Caldwell, NY) went yard with a solo rope down the left field line.
Avella mashed a grand slam in the seventh ? his second round tripper of game two ? to extend things to 13-2.
FDU plated a pair in the bottom of the seventh, as freshman pinch hitter Joe Martino (Westbury, NY/W.T. Clarke) (Westbury, CT) smacked an RBI double. Vincent tacked on an RBI two-bagger.
Sophomore right-hander Nicholas Melchiorre (Mount Laurel, NJ) suffered the loss, tossing 4.0 innings, while striking our five. Freshman righty Chris Theordor (Staten Island, NY/Staten Island Tech) (Staten Island, NY) worked 2.0 innings of relief, limiting Wagner to two hits.
Six Seahawks registered multi-hit efforts, paced by Avella's three hits and seven RBI. Rosario and Vincent recorded multiple hits.
Fairleigh Dickinson hosts Wagner in the series finale at 1:00 p.m., Sunday, April 20 at FDU Field.
